Author: Eva

DARNELL’S DELCO NOMS —The critically acclaimed play, Cherchez La Femme: A Musical Excuse, written by August Darnell and Vivien Goldman, that ran earlier this year at NYC’s La Mama, has been nominated for 6 Audelco Awards.

The VIV Awards, the annual Vivian Robinson/Audelco Recognition, are the only formally established awards presented to the black theatre community. Audelco (Audience Development Committee, Inc.) was established and incorporated in 1973 by the late Vivian Robinson, to stimulate interest in, and support of performing arts in black communities.

* MUSICAL PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR – Cherchez La Femme: A Musical Excuse

Said Darnell of the recognition: “I am so pleased to receive this news. Now I can truly add ‘playwright’ to my resume. That is something I have desired for a very long time. Good fortune put me in the right place at the right time … with the right team.”

AUDELCO celebrates 44 years of Excellence in Black Theatre this year at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th St. in New York on Monday, November 21 at 7:30 pm.

Here and Now

Here and Now

Here and Now.
What can I say……New York, we came, we put together an amazing team (from actors, a stage manager, production team, tech team to a fabulous creative team of costume, set, lighting and sound designers and more) and we accomplished our goal!!! Along with the amazing La Mama family we succeeded in our mission to give life to Cherchez la Femme!!! We feel so blessed to have worked with so many wonderful and dedicated people and the results showed. It was a success.
Now, what’s next you may ask??? The work does not stop here, that was just the beginning. We are working hard to find the next theatre, the next city to continue this amazing journey for Cherchez la Femme.
Stay tuned for updates!!!
Thanks for everyone who came and saw the show and who supported us! Without you we could not have achieved such greatness.
‪#‎cherchezmusical‬ ‪#‎keepingitreal‬

Visit us on Facebook for regular updates and information on the next stage of this amazing journey of Cherchez La Femme.

Read some of the wonderful press the show received during the limited run this Spring at the Ellen Stewart Theatre, part of the La Mama Experimental Theatre Club in the East Village, New York.

See our behind the scenes teaser video!

CHERCHEZ LA FEMME is a musical extravaganza that tells the story of one man’s loss and another man’s gain and the powerful women who make it all possible. It explores dark themes (abandonment, sibling rivalry, unrequited love) and light themes (sexual healing, the pursuit of happiness, the smell of success) but never without inviting you to shake your head and tap your toes to the infectious neo-urban-jungle grooves. The play is set in New York City and the Caribbean in the 1980’s. It’s reckless. It’s rhythmic. It’s romantic.

Buy your tickets today!

Previews run from May 20-22 and the official opening premiere is Monday May 23rd!

May 20th – June 12th, 2016

La Mama Theater in Downtown Manhattan.

CHERCHEZ LA FEMME is a musical extravaganza that tells the story of one man’s loss and another man’s gain and the powerful women who make it all possible. It explores dark themes (abandonment, sibling rivalry, unrequited love) and light themes (sexual healing, the pursuit of happiness, the smell of success) but never without inviting you to shake your head and tap your toes to the infectious neo-urban-jungle grooves. The play is set in New York City and the Caribbean in the 1980’s. It’s reckless. It’s rhythmic. It’s romantic.

30 years ago Vivien Goldman interviewed me in London for a magazine called NME. My alter ego, KID CREOLE, had just released an album entitled TROPICAL GANGSTERS on the Island Records label. It was a hit. The interview lasted 3 hours and 35 minutes. A friendship was formed. 7 years ago Vivien visited me in my home in the idyllic Swedish countryside. We joked about writing a musical. The joke became a reality. The first draft of the play was written in 6 days. At first it was called I’M A WONDERFUL THING, BABY.

1 year ago Vivien met an actor named Julius Hollingsworth. She spoke to him about the musical. Julius said “Hey, I have done some work with the La Mama group in downtown Manhattan. Perhaps they would be interested in this!” Behold! Fate rears its magnificent head out of the wilderness. In the Spring of last year, a staged reading of that play (in its 7th re-write) was presented at the LaMama rehearsal space. It was now called CHERCHEZ LA FEMME. The room was packed with fans of KID CREOLE AND THE COCONUTS and DR BUZZARD’S ORIGINAL SAVANNAH BAND and with music lovers of all ages.

The staged readings were very successful. They led directly to yet another re-write and an invitation to entertain the masses at the Ellen Stewart Theatre! Pow! A dream deferred becomes a dream deferred no longer.